Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: Calgary-Flames

So, as one of the poster boys for media relations, what, pray tell, is his philosophy?

“You guys are doing a job,” says the 37-year-old.

“Sometimes you write bad things about me, sometimes good things, but that’s what it is. It’s your job. And I know when I play bad. I’ve never had a problem with the media. I don’t take anything personally. I don’t feel that anyone’s out to get me.

“I just come in and I try to tell the truth, whether I’m in favour of something or not. As long as everything’s fair, then I’m comfortable with it.”

“These are like playoff games to me,” (Rhett) Warrener says. “I am a lot more nervous now for these than I have been for regular season games in years. I used to hate them (preseason games). Now I wish there were more.”...

“This is still my dream ... to play in the NHL,’’ Warrener says. ‘‘Calgary is my home. Playing for the Flames is my life. It scares me to think it could be taken away.”

With Jason Strudwick already headed to the penalty box for hooking, MacIntyre tried to pick a fight with Jamie Lundmark . The Oilers enforcer earned a roughing penalty for his efforts, as the Flames centre refused to go. Clearly enraged, MacTavish verbally sparred with the officials before refusing to send out his players to kill the penalties - a move that saw the Oilers coach receive a game misconduct.

The city had scarcely cleaned up the debris from the Stanley Cup parade in late March of 1989, though, when (Hakan) Loob announced he’d be heading back to Sweden in order for his young children, Henrik and Niklas, to grow up at home. He sacrificed a significant amount of dollars in the process.

“I come in here today and some guy had already pulled out of the screws,’’ he joked when collecting his nameplate and saying goodbye.

“I think the floor affects teams that aren’t doing very good at the gate, aren’t doing very good on the ice, which results in them falling into a position where they are entitled to revenue-sharing funds from teams that are doing well.

“Our plans and decisions are based as a team on the number of season ticket-holders we have, so we know what percentage of that will go towards salary and our overall budget, and what percentage has to go towards revenue sharing.”

Last season, a lack of grit among some of his Flames teammates led to Regehr bluntly calling them out more than a couple of times.

That sentiment hasn’t softened after a longer-than-expected summer.

“We moved out some really skilled players, but they were players also that didn’t fit our new philosophy as a team,” the big blueliner said yesterday, before the team took off to Edmonton for tonight’s pre-season matchup against the Oilers.

“They were also players that were a little soft sometimes, and that didn’t really bode well for us in the tough games and also in the playoffs.”

So, when he praised his players yesterday as being the fittest team he’s ever coached in the NHL, the statement carried some serious clout.

“I’m very happy. It’s the highest levels that I’ve seen in my NHL experience, as far as a team average is concerned,” Keenan said yesterday. “And, individually, the number of players in the elite is impressive and significant.

Iginla, in short, represents the one constant on the Flames. The issue is what happens when Iginla is not on the ice? How will the second line look? Is there any more secondary scoring than there was a year ago, when half-a-dozen regular forwards contributed five or fewer goals?...

Right now, coach Mike Keenan is looking at a second line that features newcomers Mike Cammalleri and Rene Bourque, playing with 19-year-old rookie Mikael Backlund.